Former Texans QB David Carr gives Super Bowl XLVI a familiar look

INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterback David Carr beat his former team to the Super Bowl.
Carr, who backs up Eli Manning, will receive a Super Bowl ring if the New York Giants defeat New England on Sunday.

The Texans, who made Carr the first pick in the 2002 draft, made the playoffs for the first time this season. They won the AFC South and defeated Cincinnati in a playoff game before losing at Baltimore.

“I was very happy for them, especially for (owner) Mr. (Bob) McNair,” Carr said during Tuesday’s media day. “He deserves everything that comes to them, like the playoffs.

“Hopefully, someday, they’ll be in the Super Bowl. I know Mr. McNair really cares, and he wants to bring a Super Bowl winner to Houston. They’ve got a good team. They’ll be back.”

Since the Texans waived Carr after the 2006 season, he’s bounced around the NFL, going from Carolina to the Giants to San Francisco and back to the Giants. He didn’t throw a pass this season.

Carr, 32, is one game away from the end of his 11th season. When asked what advice he could give Texans receiver Andre Johnson about getting to the Super Bowl, Carr laughed.

“There’s no advice I could give to Andre,” he said. “He knows what to do. He knows what it takes. It takes patience. And when it comes to patience, I go back to (Atlanta tight end) Tony Gonzalez. He waited 15 years to play in his first playoff game.”

So long, Houston

The Texans thought they were on the verge of making the playoffs after the 2004 season, their third in the NFL. Carr threw for a career-high 3,531 yards. They were one of six teams with a 3,500-yard passer, a 1,000-yard runner (Dominick Davis) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Johnson). They finished 7-9.

A year later, though, the Texans bottomed out at 2-14. Dom Capers was fired and Gary Kubiak hired. After one more season, the Texans traded for Matt Schaub and placed Carr on waivers.

“It’s a tough business,” Carr said. “You have to enjoy every opportunity you get. You can’t be bitter about anything.

“I’m happy about the years I spent in Houston. I’m happy with the friends we made and the good football we played at times. I have no regrets.”

After playing the 2007 season at Carolina, Carr spent two seasons with the Giants. He arrived one season after they beat New England in Super Bowl XLII.

“I’m very blessed to be in this position,” Carr said. “When I was released so late (July) by the 49ers, I didn’t know how many opportunities I’d get, but coach (Tom) Coughlin offered me a job real quick.”

Carr’s offensive coordinator is Kevin Gilbride, who was an Oilers assistant from 1989 through 10 games of the 1994 season.

“David does a great job on the ‘look squad,’ giving our defense all they can handle,” Gilbride said about Carr’s role in practice. “Where I think he’s been good — and I don’t know that he’s done this before — but he’s been a very significant part of Eli’s preparation.

“I think he’s enjoyed being needed and being depended on as far as contributing to our preparation.”

Luck helps, too

In his last four seasons, Carr has appeared in seven games, going 29-of-49 for 354 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Manning threw every pass by a Giants quarterback this season, but New York knows it’s one injury from having Carr in the lineup.

“I tell a lot of young guys they don’t know how blessed they are to be in this position,” Carr said about reaching the Super Bowl. “At one point this season, we were fighting just to get into the playoffs, so really, you need a little bit of luck to get this far, too.”